Category: Attorney News
Mississippi River Fishing in August is Unpredictable
August 15, 2025 | Scott M. Lepak2025 has been a strange year for fishing the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The water level has been unusually high in August, making it more challenging to find fish. The water this year is also unusually brown, with sediment from the frequent rain making the Big Muddy nickname a good fit this year even late in the fishing season. BGS fishing partners Bill Huefner and Scott Lepak added to the unpredictability by selecting a Saturday when rain was lurking to the south and a full moon was waiting to add chaos that evening. This was offset by the fact that the wildfire smoke was nonexistent for the day and Bill and Scott were coming off a lucky streak. Bill’s Friday attendance at the Lynx game produced a win and Scott’s attendance led to a win by the Twins. Adding to their optimism was their regular, late-season, ace Mississippi smallmouth bass guide Tommy Steffen, who indicated that the bite has been pretty good. “Pretty good” in guide speak means “run as fast as you can to the boat.” After a burger and beer strategy session at an undisclosed local watering hole (fishing veterans never give away their best fishing or bar locations), Bill and Scott met Tommy and jumped onto the river. Bill and Scott have been fishing…
Read MoreBarna, Guzy & Steffen, LTD. Announces New Shareholder
July 29, 2025 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.
The law firm of Barna, Guzy & Steffen, LTD. announces that Bobbi Hermanson-Albers was voted in as a Shareholder. Bobbi is a 2014 cum laude graduate of Hamline University School of Law. Before joining BGS, Bobbi worked as a family lawyer at a boutique Minneapolis area law firm and as a Judicial Law Clerk in the Tenth Judicial District with Judge B. William Ekstrum. Bobbi joined Barna, Guzy & Steffen in 2019 in our Estate Planning department. Today, Bobbi focuses her practice on estate planning, tax planning, long-term care planning, probate court proceedings, estate and trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Actively involved in the community, Bobbi holds leadership roles on professional associations related to her practice. She is the Secretary for the Minnesota State Bar Association Elder Law Governing Council and active with the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys-Minnesota Chapter, Board of Directors as Secretary, Education Committee. The firm would like to congratulate Bobbi on her accomplishments and commitment to the mission of providing clients legal service with trust, dedication and professionalism. BGS believes these ingredients are the essence of integrity, and it strives to nurture these values within the firm. For more than 85 years, the attorneys at Barna, Guzy & Steffen have been committed to providing comprehensive legal…
Read MoreJames H. Wills Retires from Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.
April 22, 2025 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.
After more than 50 years representing trucking companies and businesses, James (Jim) H. Wills has decided to retire from the practice of law. While his expertise and great humor will be missed, we here at BGS are grateful for his many contributions to the industry and this firm, and we wish him all the best as he embarks on this next chapter. Visitors to his northern Minnesota home will remark that he has not slowed down, simply shifted focus! Jim graduated from law school in 1975 and began his legal career as General Counsel for Dart Transit. After six years there, he moved to Anderson Trucking in a similar role, and in 1985 decided to form his own law firm focusing on transportation law. His deep involvement and contributions to the trucking industry continued from there as he combined his expertise in taxation, corporate law, and transportation in guiding his clients at Kalina, Wills, Gisvold and Clark PLLP and from 2016 on here at Barna, Guzy and Steffen Ltd. Jim’s impact on the trucking industry, especially here in Minnesota, cannot be understated. He served on the company board of more than one trucking company, offering his legal advice and common sense for the benefit of all. He played a very active role in…
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